Slashdot Mirror
Steve "CyanogenMod" Kondik Contemplates The Death of Root On Android
c0d3g33k writes "Prompted by the addition of new security features in Android 4.3 that limit the effectiveness of elevated privileges, Steve Kondik wonders which uses really require full root. Most common activities that prompt owners to root their devices (backup/restore tools, firewall/DNS resolver management, kernel tuning), could be accomplished without exposing root, argues Kondik, by providing additional APIs and extensions to the user. This would improve security by limiting the exposure of the system to exploits. Reasonable enough, on the face of it. The title of the post, however, suggests that Kondik believes that eventually all useful activities can be designed into the system so the 'dangerous and insecure' abilities provided by root/administrator privileges aren't needed. This kind of top-down thinking seems a bit troubling because it leads to greater control of the system by the developer at the expense of the owner of the device. It's been said that the best tools are those that lend themselves to uses not anticipated by the creator. Reducing or eliminating the ability of the owner to use a device in ways that are unanticipated ultimately reduces its potential power and usefulness. Perhaps that's what is wanted to prevent an owner from using the device in ways that are inconvenient or contrary to an established business model."
Most things which required me to root my phone should be preinstalled
-backup
-firewall
-disable any service *which i do not need*
He's not talking about root going away, he's talking about reducing the need for it, in order to have much of the freedom provided by a rooted phone without the associated security risks. Whether or not root is available is a separate, and orthogonal question, and he clearly never wants to lose the ability to root, just the need.
Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
Root will be nesessary until the carriers allow us to freely uninstall their bloatware, and other useless/quasi-hostile junk (for me, that means facebook).
-remove any app *which i do not want*
now we need to go OSS in diesel cars
Good news! You haven't needed root to do that for a Long Time now. You can just click the "Disable" button in the app's details page, or drag it to the trash can from the apps drawer, and it's disabled. Sure, it's taking up a few MB of space on your system image, but, "oh well."
Good news, I just took a dump on your doorstep! Don't worry though, you can just throw your doormat over it. It will still stink, but "oh well"